Market too far away for Agri products of Teinem
Source: Hueiyen News Service / W Rorrkychand
Imphal, November 20 2012:
The fate of Teinem villagers in Ukhrul district is almost similar to the popular Manipuri saying, 'Hei Leira Thang Leita, Thang Leira Hei Leita'(when there is fruit there is no knife, when there is knife the fruit is nowhere) .
Villagers of Teinem, which is located 16 kms away to the western side of Ukhrul district headquarters, may be the proud producers of best quality agricultural products in the state but their products could never reach the market to fetch sufficient price for their hard labour due to poor transport system.
Speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao, W Ngamchuipei, Khulakpa of Teinem village and Advisor of Ukhrul District Chief/Headman Association, said that one of the major problems faced by the people in the village is transport bottleneck.
As a consequence, truckloads of cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes and other agricultural products from the village simply got wasted before reaching the market.
The condition of the road is also so bad that goods-laden trucks got stranded in the middle of the road.
The situation is even worst during rainy season with frequent landslides compounding to the problem of road transport, he pointed out.
The Khullakpa observed that the distance between Imphal and Teinem is only about 67 km.
So, it would hardly take 4 hours to reach Imphal market if the condition of the road is good.
However, as the condition of the existing road has deteriorated from prolonged negligence, it takes around 10 hours or sometime even the whole day to reach Imphal.
Ngamchuipei said that the vegetables and other agricultural products from the village are of best quality and none of the villagers use chemical fertilizers.
"But then, what is the use, when there is no place to sell these products? If a farmer wasted 3-4 truckloads of vegetables and other agricultural products in a year, what is the use of working the whole year, and how would he manage his family?", Ngamchuipei questioned.
He appealed to the state government for improving the condition of roads and transport system not only in western areas of Ukhrul district but also in other parts of the Manipur so as to facilitate connectivity and enhance the economic status of the state.